FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legion fights TRICARE increases

Commander says higher premiums, annual fees for military retirees are ultimately
a threat to national security.

WASHINGTON (Sept. 21, 2011) -- The American Legion sternly opposes plans to
increase out-of-pocket health-care costs for military retirees, American Legion
National Commander Fang A. Wong said after learning that the White House
recommends increasing TRICARE premiums and charging new annual fees to help
reduce the federal deficit.

“President Obama told more than 10,000 Legionnaires at our national convention
less than a month ago that the budget would not be balanced on the backs of
veterans,” Wong said. “Military retirees are veterans. And their benefits,
including TRICARE medical insurance, cannot be milked to make ends meet. Make no
mistake about it. This is an attempt to balance the budget on the backs of
veterans. Military retirees are a small target in the middle of a big problem.
They should not be asked to forfeit any of their health-care benefits to solve
it. ”

The Washington Post reported this week that the administration’s
deficit-reduction plan would raise TRICARE co-payments for pharmaceuticals to
put them more in line with coverage provided to other federal employees and
begin charging a first-ever $200 annual enrollment fees for TRICARE For Life, a
Medicare supplement, beginning in 2013.

“We fully understand the federal deficit crisis, but when you start stripping
benefits for military retirees, you affect more than the budget – you affect
national security,” Wong said. “Not only is such a reduction a breach of
contract with our current military retirees, it is a disincentive for anyone
willing to make a career of military service. Those who serve our nation in
uniform, and swear with their lives to protect our freedoms, are not the same as
ordinary government employees.”

Wong added that the same argument applies to plans for a new commission to
examine ways to change the current military retirement system and bring it more
in line with other federal careers.

“These are not ordinary government jobs,” said Wong, a retired U.S. Army
chief warrant officer. “The sacrifices of those who make careers in the Armed
Forces include life-threatening combat, long deployments separated from family,
multiple transitions from duty station to duty station, and anything else the
nation asks. America has the world’s strongest military because good men and
women have made commitments to careers in the military knowing they will be
rewarded with a decent retirement in the end.

“Any commission examining this issue in order to reduce the cost of military
retirement will inherently search for ways to reduce the value of the
benefit,” Wong added. “That’s not good for military retirees. Moreover,
it’s not good for America’s national security.”

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Contact: Marty Callaghan, <mailto:mcallaghan@...> mcallaghan@...
or 202-263-5758/202-215-8644.



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